Lauren Jorgensen

College of Health and Human Services

Lauren Jorgensen became impassioned about public health during her time at Cal State LA and aims to use her education to help others after she graduates.

The 22-year-old Jorgensen will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in public health with an option in community health. An Honors College student, she has won multiple awards and scholarships and has been actively involved on campus.

Jorgensen says the Honors College provided a number of challenges, such as completing and defending her senior thesis, which examined the social and political factors of quarantine and isolation.

The college offers an academically enriched and socially supportive environment for students in all disciplines. Focusing on civic engagement, leadership, and knowledge creation, it prepares students to address the most pressing challenges of the 21st Century.

“It’s insane how much I’ve changed. I am so much more aware of issues in the world, and issues in the Los Angeles community,” she says. “I am just so much more inspired and galvanized to do good work and study hard. My years here have been invaluable and so amazing.”

One pressing challenge that Jorgensen hopes to address is the role that ethics plays in international public health. Inspired by one of her professors, Jorgensen keeps in mind the idea that “every problem is a public health problem.”

Her dream is to work for the World Health Organization. She is interested in how women’s rights in developing countries affect their health, and she hopes that one day she can plan and implement programs that will contribute to positive change. She wants to help ensure that ethical concerns are central to policy decisions involving major health issues and crises.

Jorgensen has prepared herself through her work at Cal State LA. She served on the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) as the mental health and Mind Matters chair, working closely with President William A. Covino and Dr. Debbie Covino to promote student well-being.

The committee is comprised of students who educate other students about health and wellness, advocate for policies to benefit student health on campus, and help students become agents of change within the campus community.

“I’ve gotten to do so much as mental health and Mind Matters chair,” Jorgensen says. “It’s been a really rewarding experience and something I’m very passionate about.”

Through the connections she made serving on the committee, she now works in the Student Health Center on campus, and she hopes to continue in a staff position after graduation.

Jorgensen gained a global perspective during her time at Cal State LA. She was a member of the University's 2016 Model United Nations team, which received an honorable mention at a conference in New York City. Taking part in the conference and visiting the United Nations was a valuable and rewarding experience for Jorgensen.

“It made me really believe in what I want to do on an international level,” she says. “We’re all citizens of not just California, and not just the United States, but citizens of the world.”

After graduating, Jorgensen says she plans to take a year off to travel. She then plans to apply to master’s programs, and a doctoral and post-baccalaureate program at UC campuses, as well as USC and the University of Michigan.

Jorgensen, like many students at Cal State LA, credits the University with providing an excellent academic experience and preparing her to contribute to the public good after she graduates.

“I’m going to school so I can help other people,” she says. “What motivates me is knowing that there’s people struggling and suffering. You can only make a change if you know how to help them, and education is the only way you can do that.”